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Dantius Palpatine
Dantius Palpatine was a Human male who served as the second Emperor of the Galactic Empire and one of the most powerful Dark Lords in galactic history. Born in 29 BBY on the planet Naboo to the aristocratic House of Palpatine, Palpatine lived a privileged childhood in the Imperial Palace on Imperial Center. discovered the Dark Lord's at a young age as a collector of dark side artifacts. Biography Early Life Dantius Palpatine was born on the planet Naboo in 29 BBY, to the House of Palpatine's patriarch Cosinga and his wife Dalit Palpatine. Palpatine was born in his family's ancestral home, situated in Naboo's Lake Country, but was raised at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant with his elder brother, Cosinga, his elder sister, Cosmina, his younger sister, Delice and his younger brother, Dalibor. From an early age Palpatine identified himself as different from his peers and siblings, recognizing a great power within himself, and believing that he was born to lead like his father. Although the young heir longed to kill his father and assume his reign as Galactic Emperor, Palpatine grudgingly concealed his patricidal desires for years. Education Intelligent and highly ambitious like his father, Palpatine desired to take on an active role in politics at an early age to increase his own wealth and power. Throughout his education Palpatine attended some of the most prestigious and exclusive academies in the Galaxy, but would never remain for long, and would soon be expelled for some petty misdemeanor. Palpatine's list of offenses, while usually minor, was extensive enough that were he anyone other than the Emperor's heir, he would have been imprisoned in a correctional facility. Sure enough, whatever his son's crime, Cosinga would be there, ready and willing to use his influence and credits to make it "disappear." Having been raised to believe that money could solve anything, Palpatine would quickly dispense with traditional notions of morality, instead forging a unique code of ethics for himself, a pedestal on which he placed himself, to be raised above all others. Although he despised his father, more so than any other member of his family, the two were not without their similarities. Aside from an inherited violent streak, and a love for money, power and control, both father and son shared an insatiable passion for speeder racing. Palpatine once fondly recounted an occasion from his youth when his father had bought him a state-of-the-art, prototype speeder, more as a bribe than a gift, but one he accepted, nonetheless. Indeed, the only time Palpatine thought well of the man who raised him was when they shared a cockpit together. This was not to last however, as Palpatine would soon crash the machine, tragically killing two pedestrians in the process. As always, Cosinga bought his son a reprieve, and Palpatine himself never showed the slightest bit of remorse for the incident. Quite the opposite, in fact, if anything, the lack of punishment from the law only served to reinforce the boy's belief in his own invulnerability, and Palpatine insensitively chose this moment to announce his desire to become a professional racer. Cosinga initially banned his son from riding again, but even this feeble attempt at punishment did not last long. After many tantrums Palpatine wore his father down, who eventually relented, and Palpatine went on to race competitively, and successfully. As an adolescent, Palpatine took a vested interest in forbidden Dark lore. Employing his family's vast wealth, the youth took to the black market, resolving to collect as many inscrutable runes and ancient texts as possible. Enraptured by the secrets revealed with each tome, Palpatine at once recognized the key to realizing his true ambition, the acquisition of absolute power. His family's social status provided him with high profile contacts, such as other aristocrats and even government officials. One such acquaintance was his father's friend Hego Damask, who was the Muun Magister of the powerful Damask Holdings, was also a Dark Lord who had taken on the name Darth Plagueis some time ago. Plagueis belonged to, and served as the leader of a secret society bent on galactic domination, and was the real power behind the Galactic Empire. Although Palpatine regarded Kim as a political mentor, he secretly harbored certain views that conflicted with Kim's opinions. Palpatine's training was focused on the honing of his Force abilities and combat skills, as well as his natural talents as a politician. In the first decade of his role as an apprentice, Palpatine accompanied his Master to Mygeeto where he nearly froze to death. Darth Plagueis, unaffected by the planet's freezing temperature, used this lesson to strengthen his disciple's hate, anger and desperation for survival. Other trials included the deprivation of food, water and even sleep. During the course of Palpatine's training, Plagueis once allowed him access to a number of holocrons, items that, according to the arcane writing inscribed on their pyramidal surfaces, were recorded in the days of Dessel Bane. Palpatine, motivated by pride and a desire to see himself ascend to the throne, sought to quietly undermine his father's political agenda. Although Palpatine was well aware of how he could be disinherited as a consequence for treachery, he nonetheless supplied confidential information to Bon Tapalo, who was at the time a member of the Imperial Court that his father opposed. But in aiding Tapalo, Palpatine brought himself to the attention of Plagueis, Though he was aware of Damask's reputation, the haughty Palpatine initially had little interest in conversing with the Muun. Through a small effort of persuasion on Plagueis' part, however, Palpatine reluctantly agreed to give him a tour of Theed. Plagueis was able to learn much about the young aristocrat in their first encounter; Palpatine had an interest in politics, but was shy to admit it; he enjoyed art, yet his modest tastes made him disinterested in Naboo's grandiose architecture style; the estrangement with his father was augmented by their different political opinions. Aside from art and politics, Plagueis also learned that Palpatine had a passion for expensive landspeeders and competitive racing. At the end of the day, Plagueis offered to recruit him as a spy in order to advance the interests of Damask Holdings by ensuring the election of Tapalo as king of Naboo. Palpatine accepted the offer, but only on the condition that he would report directly to Plagueis alone. Cosinga Palpatine eventually learned of his eldest son's friendship with Hego Damask. Due to his estrangement with the younger Palpatine, as well as Damask's support for Tapalo's bid for the throne, Cosinga immediately attempted to thwart any further contact between his son and the head of Damask Holdings. After Cosinga failed to coerce Damask with veiled threats, the Muun contacted Palpatine, who had been away on Chandrila with his class at the time. Palpatine, enraged by the revelation of his father's attempt to interfere in his affairs, desperately implored Damask for advice. Recognizing the potential that emanated within his young protégé, Damask took advantage of Palpatine's fear and hatred for his family, and thus insinuated that he had to do whatever it took to become emancipated from his father's control. Palpatine's defining moment came when his father personally journeyed to Chandrila with the entire family in tow to acquire his heir. While traveling aboard their personal starship, Cosinga bluntly stated that Palpatine was to have no further contact with Hego Damask. At that point, both father and son revealed their long yet barely concealed hatred for each other. Overcome by years of repressed anger and frustration, Palpatine instinctively drew upon the power of the dark side and slaughtered his abusive father as well as his bodyguards. When the deed was done, he contacted Damask and was assured by his mentor that none would ever learn of his role in the slaughter. Becoming a Dark Lord Apprenticeship The Murder of Darth Plagueis Plagueis was obsessed with immortality. He delved into forbidden teachings, and possessed—or sought to possess—knowledge that could sustain those who were dying, or even return them from death. Both the Jedi and the Sith had sought ways to survive death for thousands of years, without success. The most powerful of the ancient Dark Lords, particularly Darth Sion and Darth Andeddu, supposedly knew such secrets, but they had been lost or misplaced. Sidious later suspected that Plagueis's intention was to find a new apprentice to replace him. His position threatened, Sidious decided that he had learned all he could from Plagueis, as he had already recruited his own secret apprentice in the form of Darth Maul. Soon after, Sidious killed Plagueis in his sleep and took the title of Sith Master for himself. To make certain the same thing would never happen to him, he kept a close eye on his own apprentices, and told them only the barest minimum of information about Plagueis. For much of his life, he would be on his guard, vowing to himself never to make the mistake of recklessly sleeping as Plagueis had. Palpatine in the Senate By the time Palpatine stepped onto the Senate floor for the first time, he already knew that the prominent power-brokers in the Senate looked down their noses at the more provincial delegates, expecting little to nothing of importance from them. He knew that he, too, was lumped in with the other hopefuls from Rimward worlds, those who, having never ventured far from their homeworlds before, would in short order be overwhelmed by Coruscanti politics. Rather than do anything to prove the elites wrong, Palpatine encouraged them to keep thinking this way. Again, he failed to take advantage of opportunities that could have landed him on important advisory boards and powerful committees, and unless pressed, he never shared his observations with his colleague, apparently he purposely sought to keep his advancement slow, knowing that the more he did so, the more harmless he seemed to potential rivals. The performance evidently worked as the powerful Senators, wrapped up in their own petty power struggles, simply laughed at the small and quiet provincial, and otherwise paid him no mind. Palpatine surprised everyone as he became increasingly popular. He wrote extensively, his notes on power becoming popular texts among political and military science students, his theories even taught at leading universities throughout the galaxy. Despite this growing influence, Palpatine remained unassuming, and would spend many hours reflecting in his modest, yet well-appointed quarters. Around this time, in 33 BJP, Palpatine met a human female named Roganda Ismaren. Ismaren was a political insider, but also at one time a Jedi Padawan who had been kicked out of the Jedi Order for dabbling in the Dark Side. Seeing a great deal of potential in her abilities, the two soon became allies. Ismaren not only became a close adviser of Palpatine's, but also his courtesan and four years later she gave birth to his son, Galen. After his birth, Palpatine sensed his son's strength in the Force, and was determined to indoctrinate Galen into the ways of the dark side. Having believed his son could be even more powerful than himself, Palpatine kept the boy's existence a deeply guarded secret for years to come. Because of Palpatine's very busy schedule, he was unable to personally raise and train his son much of the time. He instead had his son be raised primarily by the boy's mother in secrecy on ? for nearly all of his young life, where Palpatine would be able to sporadically visit and train him during his son's childhood, and eventually gave his son the codename, Starkiller. For roughly two decades, Palpatine and Ismaren consolidated a virtually unbreakable psychological hold over Galen, controlling him first through fear, and then teaching him to embrace his anger and hatred in order to grow in strength through the Dark side of the Force. Friends and allies Senator Palpatine began establishing relationships with respected public figures in key positions of government. As it grew, the list of friends included Senators both weak and powerful, military officers, members of the great organs of commerce, and even members of the Jedi Order. Many of those with whom he formed friendships would eventually have prominent positions in the Empire. Others would meet radically different fates. Palpatine served as part of a Republic task force sent to monitor the demilitarization of Ando, where the two native species had resumed a long-standing feud over mining rights. It was here that he met Jorus C'baoth, a Jedi who was also a member of the expedition. Palpatine took advantage of the encounter to establish what would become a long-standing friendship with C'baoth. Upon returning to Coruscant, they often met to discuss politics, philosophy, and the state of the Republic. Eventually, at Palpatine's request, the Jedi Reassignment Council sent C'baoth to act as his personal advisor, and C'baoth became part of his staff. One thing they discussed during their time together held promise for the future: they spoke of the ExGal Society, a small, dedicated group of scientists studying the possibilities of life outside the galaxy, and the idea of an excursion beyond the Galactic Rim. Janus Greejatus, then a politician on Chommell Minor, had established himself as an isolationist—in fact his political language concealed a virulent anti-alien prejudice that stemmed from his earliest formative years—with a significant popular following on his homeworld. Through circumstances not known, Greejatus came to the attention of Senator Palpatine. Palpatine did not echo Greejatus's more divisive statements, understanding that they would only do harm to his own long-term plans, but he did see a use for Greejatus and took him under his wing. Commander Terrinald Screed, then a young officer in the Republic Judicial Department, was contacted by Palpatine, and found that his own ideas easily meshed with those of the Senator. With the coming of the New Order, Screed, now an Admiral, would become one of the highest-placed officers in the new Imperial Navy. Lieutenant Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, a government official on Eriadu who was descended from a ruthless and ambitious family, was contacted by Palpatine, who convinced Tarkin that they actually shared many of the same sentiments on government. Tarkin was aware that Palpatine was a Dark Lord, and he served both faithfully and long. Even as the New Order was inaugurated, Tarkin was placed in charge of the construction of Palpatine's most secret weapons projects. Lord Crueya Vandron, the head of a noble house in the Senex sector, secretly joined Palpatine's camp. After the Empire was inaugurated, Vandron would become an advisor and the head of COMPNOR. Aides Senator Palpatine also brought his own loyal aides with him from Naboo and elsewhere. They served him in legitimate political and legal roles, but they also worked his will in darker and more secretive ways. It would be these functionaries who earned the greatest rewards (with the exception of Palpatine's accomplices) that could be bestowed in the New Order. Palpatine had maintained Sate Pestage as an aide ever since he had been but a minor functionary on Naboo. Pestage performed the day-to-day duties of a senatorial aide, but he also was fully aware of Palpatine's secret identity of Darth Sidious and willingly served Sidious as a covert operative. Under the New Order, Pestage was made Grand Vizier and given the power to control all access to the Emperor. Palpatine treated Pestage's colleague, Kinman Doriana, in a similar fashion. Doriana had a kind of unspoken wish to be a spy, and Sidious indulged this by assigning him to perform covert work, but unlike Pestage, Doriana was not informed of the secret connection between Sidious and Palpatine. As far as Doriana was aware, they were separate people, and he performed tasks for both without realizing the truth. The ruthless Ars Dangor was also an aide to Senator Palpatine at this time, though information about his activities is far more scarce. Dangor was eventually given a prime place among the Imperial Advisors, and Palpatine consulted with him on galactic-security issues, especially those dealing with the Rebellion. He ran much of the day-to-day affairs of the Empire, and as Dangor, like his master, was a powerful and charismatic public speaker, he was also responsible for all public addresses. The fall of Chancellor Valorum The long-anticipated special session of the Senate, the last under the Valorum government had only two items on its agenda: a hearing of the Naboo delegation's case, and a debate on the Trade Federation's continued opposition to BR-0371. Few expected it to be anything other than routine. Palpatine alone knew what was coming. He knew that the Federation's representative, Lott Dod, would stall the proceedings with every procedural tool at his command. He also knew that the vice chair, Mas Amedda, would keep Valorum shackled by procedure no matter what. And he knew that, in the face of an attempt to stall, Amidala would have no choice but to act as he had suggested. During the session, Dod and his allies threw up objection after objection, and Amidala, unable to even finish her plea, grew more and more frustrated. Finally, Dod moved that a Senate committee be created to determine if her "accusations" were valid - a proposition that was further supported by Senator Aks Moe of Malastare. Amedda then pulled Valorum aside, subtly forcing him to concede that Dod was within his rights. When Valorum then asked Amidala to defer her motion to allow the committee to do its work, it was the last straw. She saw with her own eyes that Palpatine was right, Valorum was ineffective, and she had nowhere left to go. Palpatine hid his satisfaction as, next to him, Amidala delivered the words that sealed Finis Valorum's fate. Valorum was thunderstruck, but by the time he could recover, events had moved past him. Senator Edcel Bar Gane of Roona seconded Amidala's motion, and the vote was on the floor, before long, hundreds of Senators were demanding the vote take place. The Senate had waited for this for months, perhaps years, and so unpopular was Valorum that they descended upon him with no mercy, demanding a vote. It was all the Chancellor could do to postpone the vote until the following day. Palpatine already knew it would be a vote the Valorum government would not survive. It now remained only for him to ensure that he would be the one filling Valorum's shoes. The scramble for a new Emperor The sudden power vacuum left a choice for the two major factions in the Senate. In his absence, the Senate voted for a successor. Neither Antilles nor Teem could garner enough votes to achieve an effective majority, in part because of the recent murder of certain delegates that removed some decisive votes from the equation. But the ultimate deciding factor, as Palpatine intended, was the groundswell of sympathy for the representative of besieged Naboo. Palpatine could rightfully claim that Valorum had promised to do all he could for Naboo in a time of crisis, and failed. Perhaps it was proper, many believed, that Palpatine himself should be given the chance to make things right. With such political weight behind him, Palpatine received the most votes by far, becoming Chancellor, the last being ever to hold the title, by an overwhelming margin. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and restore the remembered glories of the Republic. The Republic under Palpatine (10–5 BJP) The new Chancellor kept himself busy during the four years of his tenure. Much of this work was an intrigue that would eventually cause catastrophic bloodshed, the Clone Wars. But he had other projects, smaller but effective, that further undermined the Jedi and the Republic they served. Many were designed to whittle away the Jedi ranks, a few at a time, to make his task easier when the time came to purge them entirely. And as he carried out these murderous intrigues, always he cloaked himself in the image of a responsible leader. Personality and Traits Through his own nature, Dantius Palpatine was evil incarnate, believing himself to be the embodiment of darkness and the living incarnation of the dark side of the Force. From very young, his only goal was nothing less than the acquisition of absolute power. Yet he was also patient, vastly intelligent, and an incredible actor able to keep up the facade of good intentions for some time, with his cheery demeanor, and trademark smile. Palpatine was a manipulative and seductive megalomaniac, easily bending others to his will in his quest for supremacy and ultimate power. A narcissist, Palpatine identified his own essence with the very blackness of space, even going so far as to declare himself the ultimate personification of the dark side. Palpatine also displayed traits of psychopathy, including extreme sadism and cruelty, taking considerable pleasure in the suffering and deaths of others. In fact, he was known to cultivate life-forms for the sole purpose of eventually killing them. His inherent sadism also had its roots with his father, Cosinga Palpatine, who was known to have an interest in violence, one of the few things he had in common with him. Even as a child, Palpatine was demonstrated to be manipulative, sociopathic, and self-centered. This is especially evident by his frequent breaking of various rules and social norms, knowing full well that his father, whom he hated, would simply pay off the authorities to make the problem disappear, and his declaration upon causing an accident that killed two pedestrians while using a speeder that he'd like to become a professional racer. Although possessed of an insatiable hunger for power, he honestly believed that his form of government would be best for the galaxy, and in time came to regard himself as something of a savior. He also viewed all sentient beings bereft of the Force as inferiors, likening them to children floundering about aimlessly, ignorant of their own shortcomings and incapable of fulfilling their aspirations. Palpatine considered the wise and powerful, specifically Force-sensitives, as responsible for providing guidance for such lesser entities in order to allow for a thriving civilization. Seeing no one wiser nor more powerful than himself, Palpatine deemed only himself as worthy of realizing this philosophy, and thus endeavored to control the galaxy forever. Palpatine was also a prolific author. His notes on political and military sciences became popular texts, and his theories on these subjects were taught at universities throughout the galaxy. In fact, Palpatine began devoting some effort towards writing a series of books about dark lore and histories, the Dark Side Compendium. Palpatine was a known patron of the arts, attending the opera whenever able and surrounding himself with unique statuary and decorative antiques. Many of these statues served as convenient hiding places to stash Palpatine's various dark side artifacts and lightsabers. Palpatine also held some hatred and disgust for the Wookiee holiday Life Day, especially due to the Rebel Alliance being involved. He once had a publicist relay to Hol't Deb Orah of Corellia Times that he'll give those celebrating the holiday his official "Bah, humbug!", even though he refuses to acknowledge the efforts made by the Rebels. Despite his exceptional skills in lightsaber combat and his mastery of the dark side, Palpatine was no less susceptible to fear than any other Dark Lord. Contrary to Dessel Bane's strict belief that the Apprentice must prove his worthiness by striking down the Master in open combat, Palpatine chose to murder his Master, Darth Plagueis in his sleep, rather than confront him directly. Luke Skywalker also detected the same traces of fear that resided with Palpatine. Romantic Interests Liana It is unknown whether or not Palpatine truly loved his wife. It is possible that when the two first got together there was love, however, that was quickly shattered when she learned that she was unable to have children, thus not being able to give Dantius a potential heir. After learning that fact, the two had a loveless marriage from that point forward, only using her for political reasons and cheating on her often. Nonetheless, he was still married to Liana for over fifteen years until her sudden death in a ship crash, which he used to gain sympathy from voters and ultimately lead to Palpatine's rise to power. Ysanne Isard Roganda Ismaren Sly Moore Powers and Abilities Trained to perfection by Darth Plagueis, Dantius Palpatine was one of the most powerful Dark Lords in history, firmly believing himself to be the most powerful ever. Lightsaber Training Dantius Palpatine was incredibly skilled in lightsaber combat, and one of the greatest duelists of all time. A Swordmaster, Palpatine managed to fight and defeat Luke Skywalker in a one-on-one lightsaber duel on Byss. He was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim, keeping his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of lightsaber combat and stances, Palpatine drew his opponents in, fighting less than his true capability, and then striking the fatal blow when his opponents thought they had the better of him. When fighting at full strength, the Dark Lord was a terrifying opponent. Palpatine specialized specifically in Form VII, Form V and Form IV, though he used a combination of all forms. Palpatine had an extremely aggressive dueling style, which allowed him to defeat experienced Jedi with very little effort. Force Powers In addition to his lightsaber combat skills, Palpatine was considered to be one of the greatest Force users of all time, perceived in the Force by Jard Dooku, as a "black hole of the dark side." Palpatine was a master of Force lightning and was known to use this both as a lethal attack, and as a way of torturing his enemies. In addition, he could use this power to light up the surface of a an entire planet. He was also extremely skilled with telekinesis, using this ability with incredible dexterity and precision. Likewise, he was skilled enough with telekinesis that he was also able to remove Luke Skywalker's restraints while barely even lifting his finger when meeting face to face on the Death Star. Palpatine also possessed the power of Force Flight, implementing it on occasion. Palpatine was also the only known being capable of producing a Force storm of his own power, a dark side technique which he himself discovered. Among the Emperor's powers was the ability to channel the collective life essences of billions to sustain himself and his Dark Side Adepts, his victims would live in a dream-like state while his own power grew. The entire population of Byss lived under this spell until the planet's destruction by the Galaxy Gun. It was mentioned by Luke Skywalker that the Emperor's very voice had a hypnotic lull to it whenever he was outwardly projecting his dark side Force powers. Palpatine was highly adept at foreseeing the future, often utilizing the power to see his plots to fruition, ensuring that all would proceed as he had envisioned. Furthermore, the Dark Lord was a master of Force stealth and also possessed knowledge of Dark magic, allowing him to use arcane rituals to detect poisons and drugs in food and drink. Notes and references }} Category:Males Category:Humans Category:Inhabitants of Naboo Category:Inhabitants of Coruscant Category:Emperors Category:Dark Lords of Order of the Dark Lords Category:Nobility Category:Authors Category:House of Palpatine Category:Force-sensitives Category:Dark Lords Category:Inhabitants of Byss Category:Inhabitants of Bastion Category:Emperors of the Galactic Empire